Harrold ISD Helps Students Deal with Death of Classmate

Harrold ISD Helps Students Deal with Death of Classmate

Harrold ISD brings in counselors to help students deal with the death of Skylar Bell, a second grader who recently moved to Harrold from Vernon.

A small Wilbarger County town is dealing with the death of child.DPS troopers say a Harrold second grader was hit and killed last night while trying to cross Highway 287.Mechell Dixon was in Harrold today and has more on the investigation.

Thursday around 7 p.m., DPS troopers say a semi rig driver saw a child in the southbound lane of Highway 287.Troopers say the driver, 27 year old LaQuentin McCown of Fort Worth tried to swerve to miss the child but could not avoid her.Troopers have identified the child as second grader Skylar Bell and say she was with her sister.Harrold school officials say although the family had recently moved to Harrold from Vernon, her death was still difficult on her young classmates.

"Death is hard to deal with for adults and for kids, kids don't have the mechanism or the rational to deal with death," says David Thweatt, Harrold ISD superintendent.

But that's exactly what Harrold ISD students had to deal with Friday after the death of Skylar Bell.

"They weren't here very long. They had just been enrolLed a couple of weeks. These are new girls," Thweatt says.

But counselors, who were brought in from Vernon, say her death was still difficult on classmates.

"They were really quiet and really reserved and didn't want to talk that much because it is so fresh. We gave them the opportunity to tell us what they knew and what they had heard so they could get it out then we moved onto the project piece where they didn't really have a lot to say but they were able to put it in writing and share their thoughts of what they felt," says Sarah Hernandez, a counselor from Vernon ISD.

What students felt was displayed on this wall in the school.

In addition to these messages, some students wrote prayers, put them in this container so the school can get it to the family.

Messages of love to a little girl who, during her short time in Harrold, is remembered as "being kind and beautiful" and who will never be forgotten.

While classmates deal with the loss of Skylar troopers continue the investigation into her death to find out why she and her sister were on a busy highway last night.

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